U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,505 entitled “PROGRAMMED OFFSHORE FORMATION TESTERS” describes an apparatus for making automatic formation evaluation tests in a well bore. To accomplish this, a formation tester is provided with timing means for controlling execution of various predetermined operations, such execution continuing from initiation to termination of the test with no requirement for operator intervention. The apparatus is of particular utility in an offshore environment wherein the continually changing elevation of the vessel with respect to the subsea well bore characteristically makes surface control difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,439 entitled “SUBSURFACE SAFETY VALVE” describes a combination slip-joint and safety valve apparatus including an inner member telescopically and non-rotatably disposed within an outer member, a barrier means for blocking the bore through the members, a normally-open flow course extending past the barrier means and adapted to be closed by a longitudinally movable valve sleeve, and a means responsive to complete telescoping or closing movement of the members for moving the valve sleeve between open and closed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,826 entitled “OFFSHORE DRILL STEM TESTING” describes apparatus for offshore drill stem testing from a floating vessel using a tester operated by upward and downward motion and coupled to a packer by a slip-joint, the equipment being suspended in the well bore on upper and lower pipe string sections connected together by a slip-joint. The tester and slip-joints are balanced with respect to fluid pressure so that a sequence of free points observed on the rig weight indicator at the surface provides positive indications of operation of the tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,168 entitled “DRILLING EXPANSION JOINT APPARATUS” describes a slip or expansion joint for use in a drill string which includes a mandrel telescopically disposed within a housing with splines to prevent relative rotation. The housing includes a bottom sub having attached thereto a tube extending upwardly in spaced relation to the adjacent housing section to provide an annular cavity that is placed in communication with the well annulus by ports. A seal assembly is mounted on the upper end of the tube and seals against the lower portion of the mandrel which is slidably received in the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,980 entitled “DRILLSTRING PACKER ASSEMBLY” discloses a packer assembly for use in wellbore operations including a first packer and a second packer interconnected by an adjustable length spacer. The spacer provides a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the first packer and the second packer when the assembly is positioned in a wellbore.
PCT Patent Application Pub. No. WO2008/100156 entitled “ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR TRANSIENT AND CONTINUOUS TESTING OF AN OPEN PORTION OF A WELL BORE” discloses an assembly for transient and continuous testing of an open portion of a well bore, the assembly being arranged in a lower part of a drill string. The assembly comprises: a minimum of two packers fixed at the outside of the drill string, the packers being expandable for isolating a reservoir interval; a down-hole pump for pumping formation fluid from the reservoir interval; a mud driven turbine or electric cable for energy supply to the down-hole pump; a sample chamber; sensors and telemetry for measuring fluid properties; a closing valve for closing the fluid flow from the reservoir interval; and a circulation unit for mud circulation from a drill pipe to an annulus above the packers and feeding formation fluid from the down-hole pump to the annulus. The sensors and telemetry are for measuring and real-time transmission of the flow rate, pressure and temperature of the fluid flow from the reservoir interval, from the down-hole pump, in the drill string and in an annulus above the packers. The circulation unit can feed formation fluid from the reservoir interval into the annulus, so that a well at any time can be kept in over balance and so that the mud in the annulus at any time can solve the formation fluid from the reservoir interval.
The entire disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,643,505, 3,653,439, 3,662,826, 3,764,168, 7,647,980 and PCT Patent Application Pub. No. WO2008/100156 are incorporated herein by reference.